Not many people may have heard of Ehor. He was what I call a local legend. His stories around a campfire were epic and often hilarious with out meaning to be. His stories of Grizzly encounters were nailing biting but "no big deal". He will be missed.
Here is the obit:
Mr. Ehor Ivan Ukrainetz, of Calgary, passed away at the age of 85 years. Ehor is survived by his children: Teresa, Paul, Veronica, Michael, Nadia, and Philip, and their spouses, Jerry, Susan, Jen, Kevin, and Sandra; his grandchildren, Katya, Graham, Sean, Neil, Brooke, Tyler, Lukas, Jake, Noah, NoahD, Sadie, Kate, Josh, Amy, and Sarah; and his sisters Evelyn Walsh and Claudia (and Walter) Gardner. Ehor was preceded very recently in death by his beloved wife, Patricia. Ehor was born in Edmonton, Alberta, to Nancy (Shavchook) and Michael Ukrainetz.
He grew up in prairie towns north of Edmonton where his father was a teacher and principal, and graduated from high school in Peace River. Ehor earned a B.A. in English Literature from the University of Alberta and started on his B.Ed., but left to join the navy as lieutenant in the instructor's branch. He was stationed in Victoria where he met Patricia Rooney, newly arrived from England. They were married July 8, 1961, and honeymooned at a fishing camp in the Okanagan. They started their family with Max the dog and Inky the cat. Teresa soon arrived and had her first camping trip at 1 month of age - Pat carrying her and Ehor pushing the stroller piled with camping gear. In 1963, Ehor and Pat moved back to Edmonton, where Ehor finished his degree and began his teaching career. Paul, Veronica, and Mike then expanded the family. In 1967, Ehor decided it was time to explore new terrain, and the family moved to Calgary, where Nadia and Phil were born.
Calgary's foothills and mountains satisfied Ehor, and he settled into teaching English at Saint Mary and then Saint Francis high schools. He preferred the non-academic track where he embedded his stories into his lessons and many a student found his way onto hunting trips and to the Ukrainetz dinner table. Ehor loved the natural world. Fishing, bird hunting, field trialing, bowhunting, downhill skiing, cross-country skiing, canoeing, camping, hiking, birdwatching from his hunting tree stand, old-timers hockey, all critters, and in his last years, gardening and walking with his dogs in off-leash areas - Ehor treasured any reason to be active outdoors. He could climb a mountain with a huge pack, swim a rapid after a canoe spill in the Arctic, and likely even wrestle a grizzly bear. At the same time, Ehor was a gentle soul, a storyteller, a reader, and a thinker. Ehor was never without a dog. He had many but each was special.
Ehor also loved having his kids on his adventures: "Don't get a summer job - you will work all your life - come camping with me." He made it work with Pat's careful budgeting and his own resourceful management of equipment and vehicles. Perhaps the pinnacle achievement was the ancient GMC van: he added insulation and wood paneling, home-made table, and a steel bumper with winch; as pieces fell off, he made plastic windows and ski pole grips for door handles, and bolted broken doors shut. Ehor was a firm adherent to free range parenting. Kids accompanied him as soon as they could keep up, look after themselves, and, if they got tired, find their back to the vehicle on their own. His children grew up to be self-reliant outdoor adventurers and passed on his passions to their children.
Mountain man Dad will be dearly missed by his children and the many others who shared in his epic adventures. As his ever-patient wife Pat would say, life with Ehor is never boring! Pat called Ehor home 10 days after her. Ehor and Pat are together now, yin and yang, a whole greater than the sum of their parts. Our family is grateful to Amica Aspen Woods for providing a home for Dad and Mom in their last year. A double funeral mass will be held at on April 13, 11am with a prayer celebration on April 12, 7pm, both at Holy Spirit Catholic Church (10827 24 St SW). In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent for support of the people of Ukraine to Caritas (
https://www.caritas.org/ukraine-appeal-22/).
RIP Ehor Ukrainetz
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